The United Nations suffered its most significant loss of humanitarian aid in Gaza over the weekend when 98 out of 109 aid trucks were hijacked, with food intended for Gaza’s 2.3 million people stolen. The U.N. has not identified the perpetrators, but spokesperson Stephane Dujarric stated the trucks were taken by armed individuals. Only 11 trucks reached their destination in Deir al-Balah on Saturday, marking the theft as the worst of the 13-month-long war.
Gaza’s population heavily relies on international aid, with malnutrition and food insecurity worsening, particularly in northern Gaza. While the U.N. has faced accusations of hindrance from Israeli forces, Dujarric emphasized the organization does not accept protection from any warring party, whether Hamas or the Israeli military.
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon accused Hamas of stealing the trucks, holding drivers at gunpoint. He insisted that Israel would continue allowing aid shipments but called on international organizations to enhance aid distribution, citing the ongoing hijacking of supplies as critical to Hamas’s operations. The U.N. continues to work towards getting aid to Gaza, despite the thefts and the region’s increasingly dire situation.
